


thief of hearts

by espercially



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - Criminals, Alternate Universe - Detectives, Drunk Bokuto Koutarou, M/M, an incredible amount of sexual tension because bokuto's fucking stupid, bokutos tryin his best ok, detective!bokuto, thief!kuroo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-01-01
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:34:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,792
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28441734
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/espercially/pseuds/espercially
Summary: Bokuto is a new, freshly-graduated detective, and has completed only a few tasks before. He’s not sure what exactly he was expecting himself to do when he catches his apartment being robbed in the middle of the night, but he certainly didn’t think he’d ask the guy to stay.- for BoKuroo Week Day 6, Crime/Detective AU.
Relationships: Bokuto Koutarou/Kuroo Tetsurou
Comments: 13
Kudos: 38
Collections: Bokuroo Week 2020





	thief of hearts

**Author's Note:**

> written for bokuroo week on twitter! i've never written them before, so this was a lotta fun :')
> 
> shoutout to my loves [deenie](http://twitter.com/wormydeen) and [RT](http://twitter.com/risquetendency) for readin this over i love u guys

Bokuto drags himself into his apartment long after he was supposed to be home. Not that he had a curfew, he’s 23 for god’s sake, but still. He had  _ things _ planned. Things like doing the dishes and maybe a load of laundry, but still.  _ Things. _

He had expected to come home from his date in a spectacular mood, and have extra energy to bounce around and finish off his chores. He’d expected to finally have a night off from worrying about work cases, or to finally have a night busy enough that he wouldn’t have to think.

He hadn’t exactly expected to get stood up. He hadn’t prepared to be drunk off his ass, drowning his disappointment in what he had finally thought was a promising partner. The guy had actually seemed interested in Bokuto’s life, as opposed to just interested in him for sex. Turns out, maybe he wasn’t all that interested after all. He should’ve known.

Therefore, when Bokuto finally trudges home at nearly midnight, stumbling at every step, he simply collapses face-first on the couch. He does not think the dishes will be getting washed tonight. He doesn’t particularly care. Tomorrow morning, when he’s finished wallowing in his own self-misery, he’ll have plenty of energy and they’ll get washed then. 

Right now, Bokuto is just a bit miserable.

As uncomfortable as laying flat on his stomach is, he really doesn’t have the energy or the coherency to move, and he instead lets out a quiet whine. It’s not as if anyone will hear him, he lives alone, but it does make him feel the tiniest bit better.

He lets out another whine. He doesn’t feel any better this time.

He knows he’s being a bit dramatic; he’s been told he has a natural gift for theatrics. Getting stood up isn’t exactly a reason to get as drunk as he had, and he knows it. He is definitely allowed to wallow though. Cry, maybe, if he works up to that. Doesn’t think he can handle ice cream right now – he probably wouldn’t even be able to get it out of the freezer without dropping it. 

He huffs, hot air blowing back in his face. His right arm slips off the end of the couch and his knuckles smack into the wooden floor. Another whine, this one more out of surprise. A tear rolls its way down his cheek, which makes him feel even more ridiculous. It’s not like whacking the floor hurt all that much. Pathetic.

Bokuto does nothing to stop the tears though, deciding that he can do this for just one night.

\--

A loud  _ BANG  _ and a quiet “Ah, fuck” is what wakes Bokuto up. 

He raises his head groggily, apparently having fallen asleep on the couch. His arm is numb, and the pain in his lower back from being in a weird position is starting. The pounding headache almost doesn’t register when Bokuto’s eyes meet a pair of unfamiliar brown ones, wide and scared across his living room. There’s a man standing over a now-broken table lamp, half bent over, looking absolutely terrified.

“Who the hell--” Bokuto doesn’t finish as his vision adjusts, because he realizes he  _ knows  _ this intruder. He better, after having stared at his face for several weeks, not to mention his iconic horribly spiky hair. “I know you. Kuroo Tetsurou.”

They sit there for a moment, staring each other in their equally scared wide eyes. It’s just Bokuto’s fucking luck; of  _ course  _ he’d get robbed by the very criminal he’s supposed to be watching. In fact, he could restrain Kuroo right now and take him into the station. He’d probably get high praise, especially for acting accordingly in such dire circumstances.

However, if the pounding headache is any indication, Bokuto doesn’t exactly have the sobriety to apprehend a criminal in the middle of his crime. Bokuto has cameras outside his apartment - that’s why he decided to move to this one instead of one far closer to the precinct - so he’ll have video evidence of Kuroo coming in. He can’t really think much past that, though, without his brain screaming at him. 

Therefore, when what comes out of Bokuto’s mouth is “Can you please stay?” he doesn’t even cringe. Of course, if Kuroo ends up staying the night, Bokuto can just take him in in the morning. Duh.  _ Drunk me is a genius. _

There’s a strangled sound from the other man. “Huh?”

“I--I need you,” Bokuto’s brain is spinning at its maximum speed, which is not very fast. He really shouldn’t have had so much to drink. “Please. Stay.” 

He never thought he’d have to resort to  _ begging  _ a criminal to stay. It’s not like he  _ wants  _ Kuroo to stay at his apartment; he didn’t even check if the damn man was armed.  _ Absolutely idiotic move, Koutarou. _

Kuroo stands up, straightening his back. “Usually, people would pay me for that.” Bokuto realizes that the man has the  _ audacity  _ to smirk at him right now. 

“I don’t really have any money.” Bokuto finds himself muttering. “I don’t get paid too well.”

“Hmm?” Kuroo raises an eyebrow. “I’d think a pretty face like yours could make some good money.” 

Bokuto’s brain is spinning. His whole face hurts, and he finds himself closing his eyes. His snail-speed brain only picks up on one thing. “You think I’m pretty?” 

Kuroo lets out a laugh.  _ Oh. What a nice sound.  _ A moment of silence follows, and Bokuto thinks it’s the loudest sound he’s ever heard.

“You okay there? You look kinda miserable,” Kuroo starts again, somehow closer than he was a moment ago. He’s kneeling down by Bokuto’s face, Bokuto notices through half-lidded eyes. He makes some sort of noncommittal noise in his throat, and his memories get hazy from there.

Kuroo putting a cold cloth on his forehead.

Kuroo bringing him some tea that Bokuto doesn’t remember drinking, but the cup is empty the next time he sees it.

Kuroo throwing a blanket over him on the couch.

Kuroo sitting next to him on the couch, and Bokuto covering both of them with the blanket, putting his entire weight against Kuroo.

At some point, Bokuto remembers giving his name when prompted. He’s not sure when that was.

He doesn’t particularly care. 

He’s just impressed that Kuroo Tetsurou actually stayed the night after learning who Bokuto was; they’ve been chasing each other’s names around for a month or so since Bokuto became a rookie detective. He knows that Kuroo is fully aware of who he is. 

What he doesn’t understand is why renowned-petty-thief Kuroo Tetsurou has just willingly spent the night nursing the detective that’s been hunting him down. 

Kuroo had no way to know that it was Bokuto’s apartment he’d been attempting to rob, right? It’s not like he had been  _ planning  _ on staying. That wouldn’t make any sense.

Therefore, when Bokuto wakes up and finds dark curls in front of his face, he almost screams. He has no idea how it happened, but Kuroo is lying next to him on the couch, his right arm slung over Bokuto’s waist. Their faces are literal inches apart. Bokuto pretends he doesn’t feel his heart skip a beat at that realization. 

He’s also momentarily surprised that two grown men actually fit on his couch -- he’d never actually tested that before, although he had suspected it was possible. That’s really not what’s important right now. 

Bokuto exhales slowly, trying to gather his thoughts, the air rustling Kuroo’s fringe against his eyes. Bokuto watches the brunet’s eyes move around under his eyelids, and feels immediately weirded out that he was watching so closely.

Kuroo stirs, rolling his neck, probably uncomfortable from a night of cuddling in a couch slightly too small for two people, and maybe also the angle his head was at. Bokuto does have a habit of stealing pillows.

_ Wait, cuddling? _

As his eyes adjust, he greets Bokuto with a giant grin. “Mornin’, handsome. You want some water for that headache?”

Bokuto blinks. He’s not sure what he had been expecting the man to say, but it certainly wasn’t that. “Huh?” he says dumbly, only making Kuroo’s grin larger.

“You were pretty damn drunk last night, Bo,” Kuroo drawls as he stands up, using the arm of the couch to assist him, resulting in him leaning over the upper half of Bokuto’s body.

_ Bo?!  _

Bokuto knows he must look absolutely ridiculous right about now, because Kuroo looks like he’s about two seconds from laughing his ass off. “You don’t remember a thing, do you?”

_ Ah, Bokuto’s least favorite sentence.  _

Bokuto can do nothing but stare at the other man. He does indeed still have a pounding headache, just as Kuroo said, which is making forming sentences much harder than it should be. Damn, he really  _ was  _ drunk. 

Kuroo does laugh now, much to Bokuto’s annoyance. “Oh man. I’m never letting you hear the end of this.” His laugh is sharper than the nice ( _ nice? _ ) sound Bokuto remembers from last night. “Dude. You begged a wanted criminal to sleep with you. While he was robbing your apartment. What kinda shitty cop are you?”

“You’re lying.” 

There’s no way Bokuto slept with this man. For one, they’re both still fully clothed and nothing looks oddly sticky or out of place, save for the now empty side table that used to house a lamp. Bokuto realizes that that very lamp has been cleaned up, and there’s no evidence of breaking or being there at all. Did Kuroo do that?  _ Irrelevant, Koutarou.  _ For another, he has  _ standards.  _ Ones that wouldn’t apply to the -- admittedly very handsome -- criminal he’s supposed to be catching by the end of the month. Just because Kuroo’s handsome means nothing. Not even if that was the best sleep Bokuto’s had in weeks. That was absolutely the alcohol. 

Kuroo cocks an eyebrow, and Bokuto feels his annoyance skyrocket. “Maybe, maybe not. You  _ did  _ beg me to stay. Until I realized how plastered you were, I sure  _ thought _ you wanted to sleep with me.”

_ It’s not like I would mind if --  _ Bokuto ignores how his face heats up, refusing to finish that thought. He has a  _ reputation  _ to uphold.

“Then why the hell did you stay? You know who I am, right?” The question Bokuto’s been dying to ask finally slips out, having brewed at the tip of his tongue for too long.

Kuroo’s expression turns downright devilish, and Bokuto feels himself shudder. “I know precisely who you are, Mr. Shitty Rookie Detective. I  _ also  _ happen to think you’re quite attractive, so I stayed. You did ask me to, after all, and who am I to turn down a perfectly handsome man?”

Bokuto’s mind is whirling, and he still doesn’t know if it’s from Kuroo’s insanity or the alcohol. Regardless, he’s currently unable to process what Kuroo just said. He ends up just staring dumbly at him once again.

“And besides, what fun is being a criminal without a little homoerotic tension with my favorite officer? What’s the point in being a thief if I don’t try to steal at least one heart?” Kuroo smirks as he heads towards the kitchen, presumably getting that glass of water that he had promised just minutes ago. However, not a second later, Bokuto watches the man kick the corner of the wall, curse loudly, and then slip on the kitchen tile in his socked feet. He almost wants to laugh, but he’s too engrossed in picking apart what Kuroo had just said.

_ Homoerotic tension? Like...homosexual? Is Kuroo gay too? Wait, but how does he know I am? Has he been stalking me? Oh my god, have I not noticed? Wait -- but -- why me? Wait, he thinks I’m handsome?  _

Bokuto can feel his brain overloading, and opts to simply flop back on the couoh, kicking the blanket most of the way off. He’s so screwed. No matter what he says when he goes into work tomorrow -- because he wouldn’t have been drinking when he had to work the next morning -- they’re never going to forgive him. He let a wanted criminal  _ spend the night  _ in his apartment? And  _ cuddled  _ with him like they’re some kind of weird Bonnie and Clyde couple? Although, Bokuto supposes he doesn’t actually have to tell them that, but still. He’ll think it. How could he not, with Kuroo being that stupidly handsome?

Wait, speaking of handsome -- Kuroo had just called him such. Kuroo had called him  _ my favorite officer.  _ Had Kuroo been hitting on him this whole time? All night, had he --

“Did you...do anything last night?” Bokuto asks apprehensively as Kuroo returns from the kitchen with a glass of water and a slightly pained expression. Kuroo looks at him questioningly.

“Uh, I nursed you and your certain hangover, which, if you haven’t noticed, isn’t  _ nearly  _ as bad as it should be. You’re welcome.”

_ Huh. I guess that’s true.  _ “But, like...other than that?”

Kuroo screws up his face even more. “Uh...I mean, I held your hand for about fifteen minutes before it got too sweaty. You played with my hair and drooled in it at one point, so I dunked my head in your bathroom sink. I hugged you all night because you’re a clingy-ass drunk.”

Bokuto screws up his face as well, because who the hell washes their hair in the  _ sink?  _ “So you...you didn’t...touch me or anything?”

Kuroo pauses, still half bent over the coffee table. “Dude. I’m a thief, not a horrible person.” He lets out a half-hearted laugh, and  _ oh.  _

_ His smile is so pretty. He should smile genuinely more often. _

Bokuto feels himself blush at the idea, and then at his thoughts, and then just because the air is awkward. He feels an awkward grin growing on his face, and a quick glance reveals Kuroo staring directly at a wall, rubbing the back of his neck. Bokuto takes a sip of his water, and finally speaks.

“You’re still a criminal, you know. Being handsome doesn’t excuse you from that.”

Kuroo’s eyes go wide and then immediately crinkle as he smirks. “Oh yeah? You think I’m handsome?”

“Handsomely  _ screwed,  _ because I’m going to drag you down to the station as soon as I put some clean clothes on.”

“You want some help?”

Bokuto throws a couch pillow at him.

\--

Bokuto never does end up bringing Kuroo to the precinct, and Akaashi doesn’t let him live it down, even now, as they sludge through paperwork at their neighboring desks.

“Seriously, Bokuto-san? You had him  _ right there  _ and you let him go?”

“‘Kaashi, it’s been three weeks. It’s not like he gave me his phone number. I have no other option than to chase after him.”

“Well, yes, that is your job. I am simply...disturbed, let’s say, that you decided to go on a date with the very wanted criminal you’ve been searching for since you got hired. I’m shocked you haven’t been fired.”

Bokuto crumples up a piece of paper and tosses it onto Akaashi’s desk, earning him a glare. “Well, thanks to you, ‘Kaashi, hopefully nobody  _ else  _ finds out about that so I don’t have to get fired.”

Akaashi tosses it back at him, hitting Bokuto square in the forehead. “So you  _ do  _ admit it was a date.”

Bokuto sucks in a breath, face heating up. “I--I mean, no. Not really. We just went for a walk around the neighborhood. He told me about himself, but I somehow don’t think it’s anything that’ll help me catch him. Oh, and then he bought me lunch, and we went back to my apartment, and he said he’d come with me to the station after that.”

Akaashi gives him a blank look. “So. A date.”

Bokuto barely gets to let out a strangled noise before Akaashi speaks again.

“Bokuto-san, are you going after Kuroo as a detective or as a lover?” 

Bokuto blinks, uncharacteristically silent. He isn’t quite sure how to answer that, because of course he’d  _ like  _ to pursue Kuroo romantically, but he has  _ standards,  _ ones that he keeps telling himself Kuroo doesn’t meet. 

Akaashi sighs. “Please be careful. You know I’ll always be here, but sometimes you make bad decisions.”

Bokuto grins. “Honestly, ‘Kaashi, I don’t know. I don’t think I know what I want from him yet, but I think he’s going to be far easier to catch if I’m in the game. He  _ did  _ call me handsome, after all.”

As Akaashi rolls his eyes and settles back into his paperwork rhythm, Bokuto keeps the grin on his face. He’s not sure what exactly it is that keeps drawing him to Kuroo Tetsurou, but he thinks he would quite like to figure it out.

  
  
  


One way or another.

  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> i hope u enjoyed!! kudos and comments are much loved and appreciated ;;
> 
> u can find me on [twitter](http://twitter.com/espercially) as well if you want !!


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